How many people here are prepared for an emergency?

[Britesea]

I'm afraid their attitude will simply be "better out of your mouth than mine"... or more simply: "So?" If you are a decent, caring person you can have no real grasp of just how selfish these people are. I know this is part of the pendulum, but I don't see how it will swing back. Considering the current generation, how will THEIR children learn anything different?

 

[sumi]

I've experienced this with family and strangers, sadly. I often think it's better to keep your head down and not look like you're doing well, at all. Spare you the having to say no, heaven forbid, if anyone comes asking. My ex-DH had a good response ready one day when someone on the street asked him for money (common practice amongst the "less fortunate" in S.A.) He said to the guy asking something along the lines off "I'm a bit skint myself. I was wondering if there is any chance YOU can help ME out with a bit of money?" The beggar's eyes went wide and he took off mumbling something. Didn't ask DH for money again.

 

[sumi]

Back to the emergency topic, not an emergency here, but I learned yesterday evening that there is a "problem with the water supply" in the village. Possibly because of the usual cold spell and ice. Thankfully I have water in the hot water tank here and loads of clean snow to melt and use for things like flushing the toilet, if needed. But it reminded me yet again how unprepared we generally are here for these situations.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh no.... a problem with the water supply is NOT what you want to hear. I think I'd be drawing up water in every container I had! Hope everything works out positively!

 

[sumi]

I looked at the backyard and went hmmm… snow! Went and gathered up as much as my hands could stand, into a bucket, put it in a sunny spot and waited for it to melt. Unless it starts raining I'm going to have plenty water in snow form out the back here that I can use for things like flushing the loo and if needed, washing the dishes or us. And if it does rain, I'll just collect some rain water. This can work

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Nice to have Mother Nature as your back up!

 

[Britesea]

*sigh* it's against the law to collect rainwater here. Luckily it's a hard law to enforce unless your neighbors turn you in; I live in a village where it's well known that the inhabitants keep themselves to themselves. I don't have anything obvious though- in case officials start driving around. We are looking at drought again this year... the farmers will probably not get as much irrigation water as they need, so local food will become more expensive. It also means another year of extra high fire danger.

 

[Hinotori]

I think the only time they really enforce it is when some moron tries to claim millions of gallons in manmade retaining ponds as 'just water barrel rain collection'.

 

[sumi]

I find that law completely ridiculous. I mean, really?!?

Our water came on sometime late yesterday only. I dumped a bucket of half melted snow in the toilet to flush it. That thing didn't know what hit it lol But it worked!

 

[Hinotori]

people still have rainbarrels in Oregon. I have several friends and family on the east side with them. State isn't going to really bother with a few rainbarrels off a building.

Stealing water from surface streams or having illegal wells will get them on you as that actually effects others. Wells cause lowering of the water table in a radius around it depending on well size and pump. Can lower it enough that older wells nearby are now dry. I've seen that happen. State came down big-time.

There's an issue up where mom and dad have their cabin. People diverting Willow Creek to illegally water pasture. Even those people who now aren't getting their legal water can only use the water for livestock to drink. It's causing issues all the way down to the town's dam with water level too low and algae blooms killing all the fish.